Boulder police officers in 2009 took an average of one minute and nine seconds longer to respond to calls for service than the previous year, according to a newly publicized report.

The slower response times in 2009, the most recent data available, are linked to several factors including an overall increase in calls for service and more traffic congestion in and around Boulder, said Deputy Police Chief David Hayes. Officers also are averaging slower response times because they are being more judicious about when to use lights and sirens, Hayes said.

"Our times have gone up, but we've been more calculated and careful about what to respond emergency to," Hayes said. "We don't put people at risk simply to have low response times."

And, Hayes said, "The good news is that we have had no complaints where the cops didn't get there fast enough."

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The slower response times are an example where officers have changed their methods to stay in line with one of their core values -- to maintain a safe environment. Those values are outlined in a presentation that the department has tied to a revision of its master plan, which is more than 10 years old.

In its effort to revise its master plan, the Boulder Police Department has held community meetings and posted an online survey asking for input.

Hayes said the department wants to be sure it's making the best use of its resources.

"When I first started, we responded emergency to everything," he said. "For an alarm, you could be at the other end of the city and you'd put your lights and sirens on and go. It was not a good use of fuel or staff."

According to the newly released presentation, some crimes have increased in recent years, including assaults -- which jumped from 436 in 2005 to 707 in 2009. Because of the increase in assaults and robberies, Hayes said, the department recently created a specific unit for those crimes.

Survey respondents are asked to identify the services they think are most important for officers in Boulder and the services they think police should be providing.

"Are there places in Boulder where you do not feel safe?" the survey asks.

The survey also asks whether people would support raising taxes to maintain and provide more police services.

The department is at least a couple of years away from asking taxpayers for more money, Hayes said, but the department wants to gauge community interest.

"It's like, 'You think we ought to do more things, but is that something you are willing to pay for?'" Hayes said.

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